With new technologies coming online every day, some going offline just as quickly, it’s hard to keep up with what’s new and even harder to decode where the return on investment (ROI) is truly found. That said, sometimes I wonder if we are missing the mark and leaving opportunities on the table by not using more technology as an industry. Sometimes a little really is a lot.
I’ve been on operations that don’t own a scale and have always driven away wondering how they could know what their goals and gains truly were if they didn’t know what their animals weighed. Technology doesn’t always have to be electronic or even new.
Technology is the application of knowledge to achieve practical goals that are reproduceable. And that’s where we find ourselves at the American-Interational Charolais Association (AICA) as an association dedicated to not only the betterment of the Charolais breed but to the betterment of the producer members we serve.
Genomic testing and DNA testing are an advancement for our breed that we hope is on the minds of all of our producers. We aren’t abandoning EPDs, just adding a 2.0 to increase accuracy, customer service for buyers and take advantage of the opportunity to move our breed forward at a faster rate.
One of the statements I hear time and time again is: “Why would I DNA test when that value is walking off of my operation?”
The answer: Because that value is walking onto your customer’s operation and that’s a good thing for you, for the Charolais breed and for the industry.
DNA testing creates the opportunity for guaranteed, proven parentage and reduces the risk of a bad experience with the Charolais breed. In effect, it ensures that the product we are advertising, whether it’s a bull known for marbling or growth, is exactly as described.
We need to make sure we are capturing the opportunity to win customers, both new and returning, and if a customer has been using GE-EPDs within another breed, it will be expected from Charolais breeders.
Dr. Troy Rowan talks about the risk mitigation the tool provides for bull buyers in this and I encourage all to read what he has to say in the February Charolais Journal. Genomically enhanced (GE) EPDs are an opportunity for our breed.
Hopefully, all of our readership is well acquainted with CharAdvantage, our breed’s source and genetic certification program that adds more value to Char-influenced feeder cattle. The documented information allows buyers to purchase cattle with a known background that can qualify for added marketing opportunities. The program truly puts real-world ROI on GE-EPDs and genetic testing.
Putting information in our commercial customer’s hands will continue to enable better management, better decisions and, ultimately, we believe a better reinvestment in Charolais.
You’ve already invested in your herd … in the genetics. Embracing genomic testing doesn’t mean changing anything on your operation—it means proving that what you’re doing on your operation creates value for the breed and for your customers, and I think we can all get behind that. — Brett Spader, AICA executive vice president
